


night terrors

by hoziest (sol1t41r3)



Category: BoBoiBoy (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-19 12:03:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22710541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sol1t41r3/pseuds/hoziest
Summary: nightmares aren't all that common for Air, but when they did come; it was bad.
Relationships: Air (Boboiboy) & Api (Boboiboy)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	night terrors

**Author's Note:**

> dump dump dump

Air doesn’t have nightmares often, but when he does, they’re definitely bad. Bad enough that he’d wake up in a cold sweat, heart hammering in his chest and blood roaring in his ears. Usually he doesn’t make such a fuss out of it, he’d get out of bed and stare out the window, basking in the gentle beauty that night brings. Whenever he has these episodes, he’s careful not to wake up Api, who’s sleeping in the bunk above him. The fire elemental was a light sleeper and he  _ needed  _ his sleep.

But tonight was different. He felt uneasy in his own bed, falling asleep took longer than it usually did. Air couldn't shake the sickening feeling in his gut he's been carrying since training earlier.

Since Api and Petir's rather explosive quarrel.

It probably seemed minor to everyone else but seeing Api snap like that shook Air to his core. Anxiety grows inside him with every outburst that Api makes. As the fire elemental's direct opposite, they were more emotionally and mentally connected than others would think.

_ “-stop him!” _

_ “Angin and Daun are unconscious!” _

_ “Hali, can you hold him off?” _

_ “I’ll try, but it’s risky." _

_ He opens his eyes, vision still fuzzy. A chaotic scene unfolded before him. Tanah was crouching over a scowling Cahaya, the light elemental was pressing a hand over his own shoulder. His once-pristine white garments now dusted with ash and eaten by embers. _

_ Halilintar gives Air a shake, “Air! I need you to focus, dammit!” _

_ “Huh?” The hydrokinetic snaps out of his daze, what was happening? Everything was so hot, so bright. _

_ “Put out the fires! Prevent more damage, then come over to help me, okay?” Hali’s rough voice is filled with urgency, his carmine gaze piercing into Air’s. _

_ Fires? Air looks around and realizes he's crouching in the burnt ruins of Tok Aba’s stall. But… why was it in such a state? Did aliens attack them again? _

_ Despite his confusion, the water elemental gives a determined nod. Halilintar grits his teeth before summoning his twin swords of red lightning. They crackle and hum with such energy that it makes Air recoil. Then the thunderstorm elemental flashes away, leaving behind a trail of red sparks of where he once was. _

_ It smells like ozone and smoke. _

_ “Tanah? What happened?” Air crouches down next to the two teens. Once he gets a better look, he realizes that the entire right sleeve of Cahaya’s jacket has been burnt away. His skin was blackened, emitting a sickly smell of what Air hoped was only his burnt clothing. _

_ The oldest elemental looks up at him, “Api’s snapped! He attacked Angin and Daun and almost roasted Cahaya alive!” _

_ Cahaya frowns, “I’m fine. It’s only my arm. You need to put out the fires and help Halilintar, Air.” _

_ He doesn’t understand, he can’t believe it. _

Api snapped?

_ A blinding red light forces him to shield his eyes. What the—? _

_ BOOM! _

_ Before he can do anything, a loud explosion knocks them all back. Air lands on his stomach, the wind completely knocked out of him. Soot stains his clothes as he struggles to push himself up off the ground. _

What the hell was that?

_ Air then remembers Tanah and Cahaya, he scans the area but the smog is too thick. He couldn’t see anything. _

_ Straining his eyes, he sees Halilintar in the murky smoke, red sparks popping off his hunched figure as he stared ahead. In front of him stood a familiar yet disturbing face. _

Api _. _

_ “Calm down! Remember who you are, Api!” He can hear Hali yell but the words only seem to do the opposite of what they intend to do. _

_ Api stood there, sans hat. His hair was wild and singed in some strands. He was panting heavily, hands balled into fists. His lips were twisted in a cruel sneer he usually wore when fighting. But the thing that disturbed Air the most was the pure rage in his fiery gaze. _

_ Worst of all was his snow white hair, a dark lock tangled in it all. _

He'd... gone reverse?

_ Without hesitation or warning, the boy in red throws his fist forward. A fist of flames bursts from his move. This takes the thunderstorm elemental by surprise; it slams into Halilintar, he flies back into the smog with a pained yell. _

_ “Halilintar!” Air can’t help but call out, worry flooding through him. _

_ His distressed shout catches Api’s undivided attention, he feels the pyrokinetic’s crazed gaze digging into his very soul. With slow steps, the fire elemental stalks towards him through the smoke. _

_ “Api!? What’s gotten into you?!” He cries out, backing away in panic. Pure fear seeps into his trembling being, horrified of the unhinged boy. _

_ He couldn’t recognize him. He didn’t see the same goofy and outgoing boy in the figure standing before him. How could this be the same person who plays pranks with Angin and Daun? The same person who curls up next to Air on a cold night just so he could warm up the water elemental? _

_ All he sees are scarlet eyes brimmed with an uncontrollable anger, a lust for bloodshed. _

_ “AIR!” _

He wakes up alarmed. The hands gripping his shoulders shaking him awake. Air jumps when he opens his eyes to a haunting sight.

The same scarlet eyes… but this time, they were full of worry and concern.

*

Api recoils at his friend’s terror. Had he done something wrong? Should he have not woken up the hydrokinetic? 

Tears streamed down Air’s puffy cheeks, the sight tearing at Api’s heart. The calm and collected water elemental never cried, well… not that Api ever saw.

_ Tanah _ . Tanah. Tanah would know what to do.

“I’ll get Tanah!” He declares as he straightens up, turning away. But something grasps at his shirt.

“N-no…” came Air’s raspy voice, throat scratchy from crying. Api could remember how the water elemental whimpered in his sleep, muttering incoherent words that he couldn’t understand.

Uncertain, Api turns back around to see Air leaning forward, his whale plush clutched in his hands. The boy in blue looked frail—delicate in this state. And Api wasn’t good at handling frail and delicate, he was clumsy and rough, prone to ruining things with one wrong move.

But he can’t leave Air in such a vulnerable state. His heart ached just at the sound of the other's broken voice.

“Can… I sit?”

Air nods slowly, his gaze focused somewhere else. Api sits down, leaning against the bunk post.

The room is quiet, as opposed to earlier when it was full of Air’s panicked murmuring and distressed whimpers.

“You were having a nightmare.” Api says softly, hesitant of what to do. The impulsive elemental wasn’t used to acting so cautious. This really wasn’t his area of expertise, but he cared for Air, so he had to try his best to comfort him.

Air’s stopped crying, much to his relief. Yet the boy still was avoiding his gaze, which makes Api nervous.

He thinks, wondering what Tanah (or anyone else but Api) would say in such a situation.

“Do you… want to tell me what it was?”

No reply.

“Please, Air. What can I do to help?”

Wordlessly, the other boy crawls to him and envelopes him in a tight embrace. 

To say that Api was shocked was an understatement.  _ Air didn’t hug. _ Even when Api slept in the other’s bed to provide a source of warmth, there was always a comfortable amount of space between them.

But the pyrokinetic hugs him back, not too tight in case Air wanted to pull away.

And there’s that feeling again.

A spark in the pit of his stomach, a heat that travels up to his cheeks whenever he does something particularly intimate with Air. Sometimes he even feels it just by glancing at him, or talking to him.

Api doesn’t know what it is, or why he feels it, but it's pleasant, fuzzy. 

Then he remembers the current situation and figures that he should prioritize Air’s own feelings right now. He slowly rubs circles into the other’s back, a motion that Tanah does when he hugs. It was relaxing for Api, so it would make sense that it would comfort Air.

“Can we lay down?” Air whispers, his sky blue gaze finally meeting Api’s.

“Sure!” He says, a bit too enthusiastic; but the other doesn’t seem to mind.

Both of them aren’t wearing their caps, since they were just sleeping. So Api can see how bedraggled Air looks, his dark brown hair tousled from tossing and turning in his sleep, his white strand was almost hidden in a sea of chocolate locks.

There’s some space between them, a distance that Api yearns to cross.

“Do you want to talk?” He asks softly, still hesitant.

Air purses his lips, then turns, his back against the mattress. He stares quietly.

Was that a no or yes? He isn’t quite sure, but he was afraid to talk in case he’d scare the other off. Api wasn’t good with words, he’s just trying to think of what other people would say.

“I…” Air falters, “I dreamt that all of us were attacked.”

Api’s immediately on guard, perking up at the other’s words. Attacked?

“By who?!”

The boy in blue hesitates, hands fidgeting.

“By you.”

He doesn’t know what to say. What did… what did Air mean? _ By you?  _ By Api? Api attacked them? Sure, he loses his temper now and then and he’s learning to control it now but he’d never attack his friends, his family. At least not so viciously that it would bring Air to tears.

“By… me?”

“Please don’t be upset.” The uncharacteristic fear in his tone makes Api sick.

He caused this. He caused Air’s pain.

“I’m not! I’m… I’m sorry you dreamt about that.” Nervously, he reaches for Air’s hand. The water elemental lets him intertwine their fingers together. He’s cold. So cold.

“I’m trying hard, Air. I’d never hurt any of you.” Api squeezes the other’s hand, “Especially you.”

It was the truth. He was practicing to control his temper. He's only had about three outbursts a week, an extremely big improvement. Air's helped him a lot with meditation, breathing and all that stuff.

“I-I know you are, Api. I’m just afraid that… you’ll lose yourself. That you’d snap and I’d lose you, and you’d end up hurting everyone-!” His voice borders on hysterics as he says the last sentence.

Wait...

Is this because of training earlier?

Was his argument with Petir the cause of Air's nightmare?

He falls quiet, gaze flicking away from the water elemental. How stupid could he be not to realize earlier? Air was looking off all evening, even during dinner. Api should have known and done something about it.

_ Idiot. He's such an idiot _ .

There’s a sea of tension in his stomach as he shifts closer to the water elemental.  _ Is this okay? _ Would Api end up hurting Air if he got too close?

Suddenly, Air leans towards him, pressing his forehead under the crook of Api’s chin, his grip on the other’s hand tightening and his free hand hooking under his armpit, grasping at Api’s back.

“I  _ don’t _ want to lose you. I  _ can't  _ lose you."

Heat blooms in his chest where Air presses against him. Air relaxes, his shoulders slump and he stops shifting constantly.

Api cranes his head down, Air’s dark fluffy locks tickling his nose. He closes his eyes, holding the water elemental close.

He smells of the salty sea breeze despite their last beach visit being over a year ago.

“You won’t.”

  
  
  
  



End file.
